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American officials claim the military operation aimed at apprehending the South American nation's president involved months of planning, but when the US President issued the order to launch, "Operation Absolute Resolve" was completed in about two and a half hours.

The unexpected early-morning strike this past weekend marked an unprecedented event within modern politics and culminated in the arrest for Nicolás Maduro along with his spouse, Cilia Flores de Maduro.

Apprehended by troops belonging to a top-tier US army unit when they tried to flee inside a heavily secured panic room, the pair are now in custody in a detention centre in New York and face drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

The Dawn Assault on the Military Complex

At sunrise on Saturday, the magnitude of the armed intervention in the capital, the nation's primary city, became apparent.

Images from the vast military base, a huge army installation where key officials live, reveal blasted buildings and burned, smouldering vehicles.

It was at this base that Maduro and his wife were apprehended, a senior political figure Nahum Fernández reported.

Just Moments Earlier - Trump Issues the Order

"Operation Absolute Resolve" started amid reports of explosions around 02:00 local time (6:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

American forces disabled electricity across the capital, Trump later described, describing it as pitch black and dangerous.

The objective was to neutralize Venezuela's air defences and open up the way for American assault helicopters to get to the target.

Our evaluation was that we successfully kept completely the element of surprise", a senior military officer stated.

Strike locations included the compound, a port and an airport. Images show the complex on fire, with huge flames visible from a great distance.

Residents reported the way American choppers flew at low altitude above the city, heading for the military base.

Some of the helicopters came under fire, but were still able to fly, military leaders said.

"It was significant gunfire," Trump added.

A Rapid Ground Assault

After landing, forces from an elite special operations unit, acted with speed.

They entered the facility just after 2 AM local time, and the Maduros "gave up" without a struggle, according to accounts.

But, more details emerged. They tried to escape into a safe place, referred to as a military "fortress".

The secure room was constructed of steel, and he wasn't able to make it to the door because our guys were so fast.

It featured a very thick door, a very heavy door," the President informed the media. He reached to the door. He could not to shut it."

However, even assuming they had managed to enter the safe room, troops could have blown it open in about "47 seconds".

From the Capital to New York City

Currently under American detention, the couple were transported approximately 2,100 miles, to New York City.

They were flown from the capital by helicopter, and transferred to a US warship, a warship positioned in the Caribbean. The team was back "over the water" by 04:29.

Aboard the vessel where one of the defining pictures of the whole operation was captured - the president in handcuffs, wearing ear protectors and darkened eyewear that looked like opaque glasses.

From the USS Iwo Jima, he was first flown to the US Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.

They were then flown on a government plane to Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York, and then via helicopter to Manhattan.

Facing Justice on US Territory

That same day, footage was released showing the detainee inside the Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) headquarters in the city.

He and Cilia Flores are now detained at a federal holding facility in the city.

They face charges with conspiracy to commit drug-related terrorism and import cocaine, owning machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy to possess such weapons and bombs to use against America.

They are set to encounter the full wrath of the US legal system in the United States within US courtrooms," the Attorney General proclaimed.

Video documents the leader's entry in US and transport into custody.